


Kagaminette Fake-Dating AU (Abandoned - being re-written better soon!)

by Fluffibon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Dragon Kagami Tsurugi | Ryuko, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, How Do I Tag, I Tried, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Identity Reveal, Inspired by Miraculous Ladybug, Kagaminette, Ladybug Miraculous, Lesbian Kagami Tsurugi, Marigami, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi Friendship, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Kagami Tsurugi-centric, No Smut, Not Canon Compliant, POV Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Pre-Reveal Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Reveal, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21576988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffibon/pseuds/Fluffibon
Summary: Inspired by my Miraculous Ladybug One Shots work (my first fanfic).A Kagami/Marinette fake-dating au where they slowly fall for each other with a lot of pining and angst!This will include eventual fluff, a ladybug and chat noir reveal, and a hell of a lot of annoying obliviousness!!Please comment so I know how I'm doing, I appreciate any criticism!
Relationships: Kagami Tsurugi - Relationship, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette/Kagami
Comments: 65
Kudos: 256





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette was absolutely furious. Who did Lila think she was? Bossing around everyone in the class as though she owns the place, all because of some obviously-fake injury that she’d somehow gained while on what another one of her also-obviously-fake vacations to god knows where. The worst part was Marinette knew that if she spoke up about it, the entire class would just turn against her. Her friends had been completely wrapped around Lila’s finger.

At first, Marinette had turned to Adrien for help - as he was the only boy in the whole class- the whole _school_ who knew Lila was a liar, but soon enough he too was manipulated into giving in to the wicked girl’s demands. Marinette knew he didn’t believe a word the girl said, but he was so used to giving up to people that he just assumed that it was the right course of action.

She had been left completely alone in her fury - just as Lila had planned. 

She absolutely detested that Lila had gotten her way once again, but she was determined not to let it get her down. Following in her best friend Alya’s footsteps, Marinette was quickly becoming an avid journalist: jotting down every lie Lila let fall out of her mouth, making sure to note in detail the ones that didn’t make sense. She was pretty used to following others around due to her intense - but suddenly fleeting - crush on Adrien.

What she hadn’t realised was that not everyone in the world was as oblivious as the boy who’d spent his entire life sheltered in a huge mansion. 

Lila had spotted Marinette when she’d followed her to the local park, and had cornered her behind a tree that no-one could see unless they specifically looked.

“Any reason in particular you’re following me around Dupain-Cheng?” Lila asked in an accusatory tone.

“I’m going to prove to everyone what a liar you are, Lila! You fooled everyone else but I swear that once they see the evidence I collected they won’t be on your side anymore!”

“Oh, that’s your game? Fair enough.” Lila smirked. “If you even _try_ to expose me I’ll be forced to dig up a little dirt on you too.”

“There’s nothing you can 'dig up' on me Lila, _I’m_ not a liar.”

Lila chuckled, before meeting Marinette’s eyes and saying, “Is that so, Dupain-Cheng? We’ll see about that.”

Lila laughed to herself once more, then pushed Marinette aside.

As soon as she left from behind the tree, she immediately began ‘limping’ again, once more faking her non-existent injury.

_Wrong leg._ Marinette thought to herself happily, trying not to let Lila’s threat stick in her mind.

*

The next few weeks passed uneventfully, with Marinette keeping a close eye on Lila, and with Lila clearly watching Marinette for any kind of slip-up that she could use as blackmail. The two of them had created a sort of uneasy truce, where one wouldn’t ruin the other unless the other acted first.

Of course, all good things come to an end, and Marinette, being as clumsy as she was, was bound to make a slip-up.

That slip-up came in the form of Kagami Tsurugi.

Marinette and Kagami had a special kind of friendship. One where the two of them could not talk for weeks at a time yet still be as close as the last time they met. 

The two girls went to two different schools and lived two entirely separate lives, yet still managed to bond against the odds due to their mutual crush on Adrien Agreste.  
However, due to Adrien’s decision to follow Lila rather than ‘seek justice’ as Marinette had described it, both girls had slowly been losing interest in him. Naturally, this had only brought them closer together.

Marinette had caught wind of an André sighting near the Louvre, and since she hadn’t spoken to Kagami in some time she decided they could catch up over ice cream, as friends often did. That was the idea, anyway.

What had started as a normal hangout between friends quickly went south when Lila Rossi herself managed to find the two and snap a pic as they shared an ice cream that seemed _incredibly_ similar to the hair and eye colour of both girls.

It was known amongst all students in Paris that when a couple became official, they would find André and share one of his famous ice creams together as a mark of love. Lila, being a student, knew this of course, and when she somehow _accidentally_ took a selfie with the two of them sharing an ice cream in the background to ‘show off her new bangs’ and _accidentally _shared it to the entire class, she _accidentally_ sent rumours flying through the school about Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her new girlfriend.__

__By accident, of course._ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sabine and Tom give some very wise advice to two girls who desperately need it.

“This is a nightmare!”

Marinette threw herself onto her bed as Kagami looked at her sympathetically from the chaise.

The entire day at school, Marinette had been asked awkward questions about her and her ‘new girlfriend,’ and every time she tried to deny it, Lila had been there to accuse her of being _ashamed._

As soon as she’d got home, Marinette had called Kagami to explain the situation, and within a few minutes Kagami had arrived at the bakery, panting, asking if it was alright to go upstairs.

“What do we do Kagami!? My life is over, OVER!”

“I am not quite sure what people do in these sorts of situations, I’m afraid. Perhaps we should consult google?”

“Great idea!”

Marinette jumped down from her bed enthusiastically, immediately losing balance and toppling over onto the wooden floor. Not letting it bother her, she quickly got up and brushed herself off before rushing to the computer and typing in: ‘What to do if people are accusing me of dating my friend?!?’

She frantically scanned the results, before leaning back with an over-dramatic sigh.

“Nothing!”

Kagami sighed too, before asking whether asking Marinette’s parents would be a good move.

“I suppose we could try?” Marinette responded, clearly deflated from the lack of answers. _Wasn’t google supposed to have all the answers?_

The two walked down from Marinette’s room towards the bakery, where Tom and Sabine were having a lengthy discussion about the next flavour of macarons they were planning on selling.

“Ah, hello girls!” Tom smiled when he spotted the two, before looking puzzled at the defeated looks on their faces.

“Is something wrong, Marinette?” Sabine asked.

“Maman, Lila started a rumour about Kagami and I dating and we’re not sure what to do! People obviously believe her and nothing I say will convince them otherwise!”

Tom and Sabine looked at each other for a second before laughing.

Marinette looked at the two, wondering what they found so funny, while Kagami shuffled awkwardly.

“Sorry Marinette,” Tom said while still laughing, “this situation is just too funny!”

Marinette pouted.

“If you ask me,” Sabine began, “I’d say you use Lila’s lies against her and pretend to be a couple.”

“Maman!-” Marinette began.

“Are you sure about this, Mme. Cheng?” Kagami questioned, cutting Marinette off.

Her face was deadly serious, as though she was actually considering it! Marinette was shocked.

“Kagami!-” She began again.

“100%” Sabine said, her eyes twinkling. She was clearly enjoying this situation far too much.

“Very well,” Kagami said, turning to Marinette who had turned bright red. “If we pretend to be a couple, Lila won’t be able to make up lies about us right?”

_This is insane! Completely insane!_ Marinette thought to herself privately, but for some reason she couldn’t say it aloud.

…

“Fine,” she said, defeated.

*

School was a nightmare. Everywhere she turned, there was someone else asking her questions about Kagami that she just couldn’t answer. This fake dating thing was insane!

She managed to avoid most questions by blushing and turning her face away, which seemed to be the answer most wanted, but of course there was always going to be an exception.

Alya.

As an aspiring journalist, Alya was absolutely astonished that her best friend had managed to get a partner without her finding out about it first. Marinette was one of the easiest people in the world to read, so how had she managed to miss it?! All the clues were there, with her losing interest in Adrien and talking to Kagami more often, how had she not seen it coming?!

She was simply going to _have_ to investigate further.

Meanwhile Marinette was practically having a panic attack at the idea of Alya monitoring her. Not only would it potentially expose her and Kagami’s fake relationship, it could interfere with her fighting akumas as the hero of Paris, Ladybug!

This was bad. Really bad. Catastrophically bad.

She needed to talk to Kagami.

*

“So what you’re saying is you have secret lessons you don’t want Alya finding out about and you need to use me as a cover when you go to them?”

“...Basically, yeah.”

“I see, when do you tend to go to these lessons?”

“I usually sneak off during akuma attacks,” Marinette was sweating; this was risky. Incredibly risky.

Kagami sighed.

“So if Alya or anyone else asks if I know where you were during any kind of akuma attack, I respond that you came to see me?”

“If you could?”

“As long as it doesn’t expose what’s going on, I promise to you I will cover for you as much as you need.”

Marinette punched the air in triumph, something was finally going her way!

“Thanks Kagami! You’re the best!”

Well that settled the Ladybug problem for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I literally just posted the first chapter but I can't sleep and this fanfic is basically writing itself! I love this shippppp!!! Once again, please comment if you can?! It's super useful :))


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected event makes Marinette in desperate need of a venting session.

Marinette felt all the colour drain from her face.

“Y-your… Your mother… YOUR MOTHER FOUND OUT ABOUT US ‘DATING?’”

She could hear Kagami groan from the other side of the phone. 

“That is not the worst part of it, Marinette,” Kagami continued, “She has decided to invite you for dinner in order to decide whether you are ‘worthy’ of dating a Tsurugi.”

“WHAT?!”

“I must go, it is time for my fencing lesson.”

Marinette put the phone down and stared at Tikki, her kwami, with a blank expression.

“So, I have to go to dinner with Kagami’s mother,” she said weakly, “This is fine.”

Tikki patted her on the head with her tiny hand before piping up.

“I suppose it’s a good opportunity to wear your newest design?”

Mme. Tsurugi was good friends with Gabriel Agreste, one of the most powerful and influential designers in France, if not the entire world. Being in his good books was vital for any designer if they hoped to one day be successful. Managing to get Mme. Tsurugi’s approval could potentially make or break Marinette’s entire future as a designer. So no pressure.

Snapping herself out of her dazed state, Marinette walked over to her dressmaking mannequin, looking at the garment that was it was currently sporting.

Deciding it wasn’t quite ‘fancy’ enough, she set to work redesigning it, with Tikki helping out when and where she could. Occasionally, she transformed into Ladybug to use her Lucky Charm, which she’d discovered by accident some time ago would actually help her with any task she set out to do.

Of course, Tikki had given her the usual warnings about using her power responsibly, but for an occasion like this, she felt it necessary to get all the help she could get.

“A string of pearls?” Marinette questioned, transforming back quickly - lest anyone see Ladybug in her room. “How am I meant to use these?”

She had also recently discovered that her ‘Ladybug sense’ as chat had nicknamed it also worked when she was detransformed, and so she quickly looked at the dress from as many different angles as she could, trying to figure out where the could use the pearls.

“Aha, this part could do with stronger thread - this string that’s holding the pearls is perfect!”

*

“Done!”

“Just in time, too!” Tikki exclaimed, “you have just enough time left to complete that assignment for Ms. Mendeleiev!”

“Ah, I completely forgot about that!”

After hurriedly completing her science assignment, Marinette was completely overcome with exhaustion. By some stroke of luck, Mme. Tsurugi had arranged the dinner for Saturday, meaning Marinette had one more day to prepare herself. 

She climbed onto her bed while looking at the time on her phone: 10pm.

10pm… why did that ring a bell?

Patrol with Chat! She’d completely forgotten!

“Tikki, Spots on!”

*

“You seem awake, M’lady!” Chat’s voice rang out.

Ladybug had taken a minute to sit down on a rooftop and could feel herself slipping into sleep.

“I’m fine Chaton,” she claimed while stifling a yawn.

“Y’know M’lady, there doesn’t seem to be any danger around, we can just sit for a bit if you need to chill.”

“...Thanks.”

Ladybug let herself relax for a second, and nearly fell asleep once again - and she would have, had it not been for Chat’s eyes practically staring into her soul.

“..Yes, Chat?”

Chat jumped.

“Ah, it’s nothing, M’lady, you just seem worried is all.”

Ladybug sighed.

“You’re gonna make me talk about it aren’t you.”

“Oh without a doubt.”

“Fine, but I’m not giving any details that could lead to my identity okay? So no weird questions.”

“Okay M’lady, no weird questions! Cat’s honour!”

Ladybug yawned, before beginning to talk.

“Okay, where do I even start? There’s this… person… at the school I attend who was spreading rumours about me dating this other… person… right?”

She could see Chat start to pay even closer attention at the mention of his lady potentially dating someone else.

“No-one was listening to me when I was denying the rumours, and the… person… who started the rumours started accusing me of being ashamed of my ‘partner,’ and I got really confused about what I was meant to do!

“So I naturally went to my parents for help, and they told me to pretend I really was dating the… person… I was rumoured to be with? I thought it was insane but for some reason the other person seemed okay with pretending? So I went along with it.”

Chat looked pale at the idea.

“So a few weeks pass, and then I get a call from the… person… I’m ‘dating,’ and they tell me that their mother found out about us being ‘together’ and now I have to attend a dinner with her and I’m terrified!” She finished and took a breath; she hadn’t realised she’d been venting until she looked at Chat’s face.

“M’lady…” Chat began, and Ladybug braced herself for whatever Chat was about to say.

“You’re literally living in a fake dating au.”

Whatever she’d been expecting, that was not it.

Chat looked completely sour. 

“You’re totally going to fall in love with this other guy! He’s going to steal M’lady away I just know it!”

Ladybug laughed.

“I’m sure she won-”

“Aha! Personal detail! It’s a she!” Chat beamed at Ladybug triumphantly.

Ladybug swatted at him, annoyed. “What happened to Cat’s honour?”

“I promised ‘no weird questions,’ and I haven’t asked any yet! My honour remains intact M’lady!”

Looking at Chat’s face, Ladybug could still clearly tell he was upset, but for now she decided it was best to just play along. 

Shortly after, the two said their goodbyes and left to go back home.

“I can finally sleep!” Marinette whispered to Tikki as she curled up happily in her covers at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asdfghjkl Three chapters in a row what am I doing with my life


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meal at the restaurant goes off without a hitch :)

“You’ve got this, Marinette!” chimed the sweet voice of her kwami, Tikki.

There were only 15 minutes until the car was due to arrive to take her to dinner with her “girlfriend’s” mother, and she was panicking.

In between last-minute additions to her dress as well as the difficult decision to remove her miraculous for the dinner but keep them in her purse, Marinette was stuck in a cycle of hypothetical questions, ranging from normal to crazy.

“What if there’s an Akuma?”  
“What if she hates me?”  
“What if she finds out we’re lying?!”  
“What if Hawkmoth finds out who I am while I’m sat there having dinner and manages to steal my miraculous?!”

Despite Tikki’s constant reassurance, Marinette was still absolutely terrified at the idea of sitting at the same table as Kagami’s mother for the evening. Kagami would be there too, of course, and the two of them would be expected to at least show each other a slight amount of affection - not so much that it bordered on rude, but enough to suggest that there really was a relationship blossoming between the two.

With 10 minutes left, Marinette walked slowly down the stairs to the bakery, desperately clinging to the banister - half due to her clumsy nature and tendency to trip over her own shadow, and half due to her choice of shoes, which were not practical in the slightest.

Even her parents appeared worried, nervously checking her hair and makeup and fidgeting when Marinette politely asked them to stop smothering her. 

“You know you can always cancel, sweetheart,” Sabine said, looking at the clock for the fifth time in one minute.

“Maman you know I can’t do that, it’d leave a worse impression than if I mess up the dinner.”

The three of them then sat by the front door of the bakery in agonizing silence, hardly daring to breathe as they watched the clock hopelessly, counting the seconds as they passed by.

“You could always-” Tom piped up, but taking one look at his daughter’s face was enough to make him quiet.

Then, from outside, there was a sharp knock at the door. The three of them stood up simultaneously and rushed to answer it.

“Hello Marinette,” Kagami said softly.

Thankful that it was her friend at the door rather than anyone else, Marinette finally smiled for the first time in the evening. 

“You ready to do this, Kagami?”

“Tsurugis are ready for anything.”

Marinette waved goodbye to her parents one last time and walked towards the car with Kagami, somehow not noticing that the girl in question was staring at her with bewilderment.

Kagami put her hand on Marinette’s shoulder before the two of them got into the car, clearly intending to say something but thinking better of it at the last second.

“Let’s go.”

“Hello, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

“Ah, hello Mme. Tsurugi! It’s nice to meet you!”

Marinette wasn’t sure whether to congratulate herself on not messing up her words, or cry at the fact that she sounded absolutely terrified while she spoke.

Mme. Tsurugi, however, seemed satisfied with Marinette’s greeting, and tapped her cane on the divider to tell the driver to begin the journey.

Kagami seemed to be just as nervous as Marinette was, however, judging by the way she was fidgeting with her hands. In a split-second decision, Marinette put her hands on top of her friend’s and gave her a reassuring smile, pretending both she and Kagami weren’t turning bright red at what she’d just done.

*

They arrived at the restaurant without any further issues, and were seated almost immediately due to Mme. Tsurugi’s influence.

Marinette couldn’t stop herself fidgeting, swinging her legs under the table while trying to inconspicuously take a small sip of water to calm her nerves. Next to her, Kagami seemed to be incredibly focused on her perfectly manicured nails, inspecting each one of them with a faux-bored expression. Mme. Tsurugi seemed not to notice the uncomfortable silence, nonchalantly buttering a slice of the complimentary bread they had received upon arriving.

“So, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, I believe we ought to address the elephant in the room. You’re dating my daughter, correct?”

It took everything Marinette had not to spit out her water into Mme. Turugi’s face. She pushed back a cough and attempted to ignore how red her face was getting.

“Ah, yes, I am.”

It was at this moment that Marinette became incredibly glad that Kagami’s mother was unable to see, lest she spot Marinette’s eyes fairly obviously shift towards Kagami, who was attempting to keep a calm demeanor but failing miserably, somehow letting a blush sneak onto her face.

Thankfully, she was saved from any more awkward questions by the waiter coming to take their orders. Since Mme. Tsurugi insisted on paying for everything, Marinette chose the cheapest items she could from the menu, although judging by Kagami’s reaction to the meal she chose, she was not going to enjoy it one bit. 

“Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, do you have any hobbies?” Mme. Tsurugi asked once the waiter had disappeared.

“Yeah, I like designing, I actually designed the dress I’m wearing right now-”

Marinette stopped, realising who she was talking to. She had really just told a blind woman about her designs, expecting her to be impressed? She couldn’t see them! She couldn’t care less!

“I see. I’m sure your design is nice.”

Kagami looked as though she may die on the spot.

“The dress is very nice, mother. It looks like something from _Gabriel_ ,” she said quietly, but still loud enough for her mother to hear it. With that, Mme. Tsurugi looked impressed.

However right as Marinette began to think the evening was actually going to go well, the sound of screaming filled the restaurant.

“Ladybug and Chat noir! Give me your Miraculous!”

_Oh great._

*

Marinette turned around in horror as the akumatised villain walked into the restaurant. 

She appeared to be covered head to toe in black ink and was wielding a paintbrush in her right hand, and where her eyes ought to be, two pure white circles resided - giving the girl an almost cartoony appearance. In the area surrounding the girl, chairs, tables, and even people were becoming poorly-drawn 2D versions of themselves, almost resembling cardboard cutouts.

“I am Flatline! I’ve reserved a very special page in my comic for you two, Ladybug and Chat noir, so give me your miraculous and I promise you’ll end up on the cover, or else I’ll turn the entirety of Paris into one big graphic novel!”

“Me-owch! I thought comics were supposed to be funny, but that joke of a threat just flatlined,” came a voice from behind her, as Chat noir came into view.

“ _That pun wasn’t even funny_ ,” Kagami whispered behind Marinette, evidently trying to calm her down.

Marinette, however, was anything but calm.

Chat noir began fighting the akuma, cleverly dodging blow after blow and whisking whatever civilians he could to safety. Despite the circumstances, Marinette was quite impressed by how efficiently he managed to move - this was the part of the battle she normally wouldn’t see, as she tended to arrive later than Chat to akuma attacks, when all civilians had already been evacuated.

Clearly angry with Chat’s arrogance, Flatline began throwing more and more attacks around the restaurant, hitting into tables and knocking whatever people were left in the radius down to the floor. Using the chaos to her advantage, Marinette sneakily put her earrings on and attempted to sneak away from Kagami and her mother towards the small closet near the entrance where coats were kept.

As soon as she got inside the closet, however, she realised that she’d been followed. Both Mme. Tsurugi and Kagami squeezed in beside her, and closed the closet door behind them.

“Good thinking hiding in here, Marinette,” Kagami whispered almost unintelligibly.

 _Damn it!_ Marinette thought to herself privately, not bothering to hide the frustration on her face since the closet was dark and at least one member of the party couldn’t see regardless.

Outside the closet the battle raged on, with Chat continuing to make terrible puns and Flatline angrily shooting tangible jelly-like ink balls around the restaurant.

Marinette could feel her heart drop as the closet door suddenly got hit with a loud splat sound, and the small amount of light that had been coming in through a crack in the door was completely shut out. The door had been blocked with a large ball of ink.

Next to her, Kagami tried to muffle a small yelp as they were plunged into complete darkness. Without thinking, Kagami grabbed onto Marinette’s arm and pressed her face against her shoulder, shaking slightly. Marinette had never seen Kagami act like this before! The girl had always appeared calm and collected in times of peril - choosing not to let her fear show and to instead take action and think things through with logic. It was... almost nice to see her more vulnerable side.

Marinette tried to stop herself from going red, thanking her lucky stars that Kagami couldn’t see her face. 

Then the realisation of exactly what kind of situation she’d gotten herself into hit her.

She was trapped in a closet with a girl she had to pretend to be in love with while the person who was apparently actually in love with her was fighting an evil villain just outside the door.

Now, she was left with a choice.

She knew Chat noir _could_ take down an akuma alone, he was definitely strong enough _and_ smart enough to do it, and his cataclysm could easily destroy the purple butterfly once he found its location. It wasn’t like she _needed_ to join the battle _really_. She could just stay safe in the closet with Kagami, who was now leaning into her properly and no longer shaking… Plus, if she were to transform here then Kagami and her mother would know her secret identity, and that would be awful! Even if Master Fu was no longer the guardian, she had sworn to him she wouldn’t let anyone discover who she truly was. Staying in the closet with her girlfriend was just the obvious correct move!

Wait…

...Fake girlfriend.

Wait what was she thinking? She’d also sworn to protect the city! She trusted Kagami, and knew deep down both she and her mother would never tell anyone about her double life as a superhero, no matter what. Surely the right thing to do would be to transform and take down the akuma quickly, right? Maybe she could even get out of the closet first, and find somewhere to transform where no one could see her, including fake girlfriends.

Whatever her choice was going to be, she had to make it now.

She just hoped she was making the right decision.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried my best! Yes, the puns are lazy and the villain name is atrocious but I can't think of anything better!! I swear I'll try harder in the next two chapters, since they're where the drama will start picking up!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight with Flatline goes about how you'd expect

Taking a deep breath, Marinette gathered up every ounce of courage she had.

“Kagami, please don’t tell anyone about what I’m about to do, okay?”

“Of course, but wha-”

“TIKKI! SPOTS ON!”

Marinette felt the familiar feeling of warm, comforting light enveloping her body - and for a split second she could see the shocked expression on Kagami’s face, before the closet was once again filled with darkness.

“Mari...nette?”

Trying to focus on anything _but_ what she’d just done, Ladybug slammed her body into the door of the closet, and felt it splinter slightly.

Thinking quickly, she shouted out to Chat, hoping his cataclysm could remove the ink that was stopping her from breaking through properly.

“Chat noir! I’m in the coat closet, can you get rid of the ink? I’m trapped with two civilians!”

She could hear a muffled “Cataclysm!” before a small amount of light managed to make its way back into the closet. Sensing that Flatline was going to cover the door soon enough if she didn’t hurry, Ladybug threw Kagami over one shoulder and her mother over the other, before kicking the door down and rushing out. 

The scene that met her outside the door was much more grim than she could’ve imagined.

“Stay here,” she told the Tsurugis, placing them gently outside the restaurant and not quite daring to meet Kagami’s eyes.

The inside of the restaurant had been completely transformed into something from a nightmare. 

Ink dripped from the ceiling and collected in shallow pools on the floor, creating small puddles of black nothingness. Tables that hadn’t been turned into 2D copies of themselves laid splintered on the floor, dripping in black. Terrified civilians were frozen in place as cardboard cutouts of black and white; Their eyes darted around the room as a sign that they were still conscious and fully aware of their situation. 

Chat had been backed into a corner, and was desperately hitting back balls of ink with his baton as they flew at him at breakneck speed, while his miraculous were beeping as a grim reminder that he had only minutes before his transformation ran out.

Ladybug sprang into action immediately, throwing her yo-yo at Flatline and attempting to tie her up. 

“Nice of you to join us, Ladybug,” she said with menace.

Now that she was focusing, Ladybug could hear a clear foreign accent in Flatline’s speech. Hawkmoth must’ve decided that the people of Paris weren’t strong enough and turned to tourists visiting from other countries.

Hoping that wouldn’t affect anything, she continued fighting.

With Ladybug in the fray, Flatline seemed to be having a much harder time aiming her attacks, which only served to make her more angry.

“Just give it up, Flatline! We will never give up our miraculous!”

“Yeah… how ‘bout no! Fight me or give me your jewels, I’m not giving up!”

“She’s a purr-etty furr-midable opponent, M’Ladybug, you really showed up in the nick of time! Any longer and I would’ve been history,” Chat said, still trying to find an opening to escape and detransform.

Ladybug, ignoring Chat’s claw-ful puns, continued pushing forwards, managing to dodge each attack with as much grace as she could muster. Hearing Chat’s miraculous beeping frantically, she launched herself forwards and - instead of reaching for Flatline - grabbed him instead, and threw him into the kitchen just in time for his transformation to wear off.

“It’s just you and me, Flatline,” she said, annoyance clearly present in her voice.

“Fight me!”

Without Chat, Ladybug was Flatline’s sole target, and dodging her attacks became two times harder as she had twice the amount of ink to dodge. 

While avoiding a particularly large attack, Ladybug noticed that all attacks weren’t coming from the large paintbrush that Flatline was holding, but instead from the charm bracelet she had wrapped around it.

_That must be where the akuma is!_

Not wanting to lose her shot at capturing the akuma, she quickly summoned her Lucky Charm.

“A bamboo rod? What do I do with this?”

Looking around, Ladybug couldn’t see anything except the paintbrush that would need her to interact with it, however she had a gut feeling that there was something missing.

Chat jumped back into the fray and suddenly his belt shone up in her vision.

She quickly ran up to him while he tried to avoid being hit and took his belt with a quick “thanks, borrowing this!” and tied it around the bamboo pole.

She then created a loop at the other end and threw it like a fishing rod towards the paintbrush, catching it satisfying ease. Dragging the pole backwards suddenly, Ladybug managed to catch Flatline off guard, loosening her grip on the brush.

She then quickly tore the charm bracelet from the brush and stood on it, breaking the biggest butterfly charm in two. 

Thankfully, her guess had been right, and the purple akuma flew out from the broken charm. 

“No more evil doing for you little akuma!”

*

“Are you okay ma’am?” Chat asked the akuma victim now that she’d regained control.

“I think so? I don’t really know what happened if I’m honest…”

Looking at her now, Ladybug was even more upset about the girl’s akumatisation. 

She had a heavy British accent and was wearing round silvery glasses, with a pencil sticking out from behind her ear. 

“Do you know why you were akumatised?”

“Uh, I remember drawing one of those four panel comics that people find so funny nowadays, and I remember showing it to my friend, but she told me it wasn’t funny and I guess I got a little overly emotional. I’m told I can’t do that in Paris or this happens though.”

“Chat, could you take her home? I’m about to detransform.”

“Alright Ladybug.”

She ran out into the street where she’d left Kagami and her mother, and saw that they were no longer there.

“Oh I’ve messed up this time…”

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh this one's even shorter than the last oneeeee  
> I had fun with the cat puns though :D  
> In case it wasn't obvious, I based the akuma victim on someone I know in real life - it's just a lot easier to describe! (If you're reading this Bea yes, it's you)
> 
> I wonder what's gonna happen now?!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is a little worried about what happened at dinner, but luckily her feline friend is always there to lend a helping paw.

“What do I do, Tikki?” Marinette whisper-shouted after quickly running into a nearby alley to detransform.

“Marinette, I’m sure there’s a perfectly good reason the two of them disappeared - they just saw you turn into the superheroine of Paris! They must just be shocked.”

Marinette was trying her best to calm down but failing miserably. Memories of Kagami’s shocked expression when she first transformed were on loop in her mind - had she looked happy about it? Sad? Marinette couldn’t tell. 

One thing was for sure though, pacing back and forth in an alleyway was not going to help anything.

Marinette quickly transformed back into Ladybug after ensuring Tikki had eaten enough to recharge, then swung back to the bakery. She transformed back when she reached the front door (after ensuring no cameras or witnesses were present,) and slowly let herself in, praying that her parents had already gone to sleep so she wouldn’t be subjected to any questioning.

Despite her power being a “Lucky Charm,” Marinette wasn’t actually very lucky.

“So how was it, honey?” Sabine asked kindly as soon as she spotted Marinette sneak into the bakery.

“I think I messed up. Big time.”

Marinette’s parents grimaced. 

“How so?” Tom asked.

“Well Kagami’s mum asked a lot of questions, and I don’t really think she liked the answers?” Marinette lied, “They left early.”

Blocking out her parents’ outrage, Marinette immediately found herself lost in thought once more. _What if they tell someone? They could contact the ladyblog, they could contact Hawkmoth, they could contact my PARENTS! What would I do? I’d have to give up my miraculous! There’s no way I can tell Master Fu about this!_

Sensing that the talking had died down, Marinette quickly focused on the last thing that had been said. 

“Would you like to go to bed, sweetheart? Maybe you can talk to Kagami and try to fix things tomorrow?”

“...Yeah sure, I’ll do that.” 

_How, exactly, will I do that?_

“Goodnight, Marinette.”

“Night.”

*

As soon as Marinette closed the trapdoor to her room, she steeled herself and transformed once more.

_I have to fix things, now._

She remembered where Kagami’s house was from passing it on the way to the restaurant, as Kagami had pointed it out. Ladybug moved quickly on her way there, barely pausing to focus on where she was - anyone looking up from below on the road would wonder if another akuma attack was occuring due to her swift movements and solid expression.

What she hadn’t counted on was that a certain stray black cat liked to roam the streets at night, and had a tendency to appear anywhere she tried to go.

“Good evening, M’Lady. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m busy, Chat Noir.”

Chat looked hurt at that, moving in front of Ladybug to stop her from moving.

“You okay?”

Ladybug sighed, before slowing her movements to a halt and resting on the roof of a nearby house.

“Actually, no, I’m not.”

Chat sat beside her, relaxing in the moonlight that washed over the two of them. Ladybug hadn’t realised how exhausted she was until she tried relaxing next to him - instantly sinking onto her back with another sigh.

“This while ‘fake-dating’ thing is driving me insane,” she began, instantly drawing Chat’s full attention, “I was supposed to be having dinner with the girl and her mother at that restaurant that the akuma attack occurred at, and instead of having a nice time having conversations and getting to know the family more, I had to transform in front of them and help out with the attack! Needless to say, dinner was cancelled, and I’m just terrified that now they know who I am things could go wrong!” 

Before she knew it, Ladybug was ranting, pouring her feelings out to the leather-clad superhero sat beside her. The more she spoke, the more Chat’s expression changed from one of pure interest to one of jealousy, and then quickly to concern.

“They saw you transform?”

Ladybug gulped.

“Yeah… I had no other choice! I got them away from the akuma first, then asked them to wait somewhere for me, but when I got there after the attack they’d disappeared…”

Chat was seemingly lost in thought.

“So… that means two random civilians… got to see my lady transform before I did?!?”

Ladybug let out a weak laugh.

“Sorry, Chat.”

“So that’s where you were going in such a hurry? To go find those guys?”

“Basically, yeah.”

“I’ll let you go then, I suppose. I’ll make sure I don’t look back, either! I don’t wanna find out your identity until you fall in love with me and tell me yourself!” Chat winked, then leapt up from where he was sitting, using his baton to propel him up into the air. He then leaned forward slightly and began moving away from the rooftop, risking one last glance at Ladybug before leaving completely.

Ladybug gave a grateful wave, and after ensuring Chat was completely gone, she began moving towards the Tsurugi’s house once more.

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I took so long to upload! I've had a lot going on in my personal life with class and therapy and stuff - it's a lot of work! I'm back now though and I'm on a bit of a roll so I'll try to write as much as I can :))
> 
> That being said, this chapter is really short and definitely not up to my usual quality, so I will absolutely have to work on that...


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is no summary I can write about this chapter without it being some kind of wack spoiler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good luck

Ladybug perched on a rooftop, trying to calm her racing heart. Talking to Chat had soothed her nerves slightly, but standing face-to-face with the Tsurugi’s house was building them all back up again. 

Desperate to avoid losing the last of her courage, she made up her mind and hooked her yo-yo onto the roof of the house.

There was a light on in one of the many upstairs windows, so Ladybug carefully scaled the walls in order to peek inside. By some miracle, Kagami was inside the room, sat on her bed writing in what looked like a diary. After glancing around to ensure no one was watching from the street below, Ladybug knocked quietly on the glass; she saw Kagami jump slightly, before hastily shoving the diary under her pillow and looking up to find the source of the noise. Her eyes locked onto Ladybug’s almost instantly.

All at once, time seemed to slow down. 

In an instant, Ladybug found herself completely bewitched. Had Kagami’s eyes always been this… captivating?

The way her hazel eyes shone gold in the warm light of the bedroom was beautiful, bringing back a dozen nostalgic memories at once. Images of golden honey and delicate fallen leaves swarmed Ladybug’s mind - The warm glow of a fireplace, the shining light of the sun at noon, the beautiful, warm feeling of home, she just didn’t want to look away.

She was fully aware that her face was quickly becoming redder and redder, and in an attempt to save at least a scrap of dignity, Ladybug forcibly snapped herself out of her dazed state, mouthing ‘can I come in?’

Kagami, with her face looking about as red as Ladybug’s felt, nodded slowly, seemingly just as dazed.

The window was already unlocked, thankfully, so Ladybug was able to get inside the room with relative ease.

Once inside, Ladybug quickly became aware that there were several other smaller versions of herself - in both forms - staring at her from various places in the room.

Action figures (some of which were limited edition), posters, and photographs scattered the room sparingly, giving the otherwise plain and characterless room a pop of colour. 

Although most of the memorabilia was Ladybug themed, Ladybug spotted several photos of her detransformed self scattered around. One in particular caught her eye. 

It was framed on Kagami’s set of drawers. The photo was of Marinette, seemingly caught off guard. 

She was sat down on a bench in the park, drawing in her sketchbook and completely unaware of the fact she was being photographed. The photo was so simple, why was it framed? Granted, it was the only one in the room that was of Marinette and only Marinette, as all the others had at least one other person in.

Perhaps Kagami had just put it there to further sell the lie that the two of them were romantically involved.

That had to be it.

Sensing that Kagami was watching her, Ladybug dropped her transformation and turned back to her, pointedly avoiding making direct eye contact, choosing to focus instead on the small freckles that dotted her cheeks like constellations.

Kagami let out an audible gasp at the sight of Marinette, as though she hadn’t quite believed that she and Ladybug were one and the same.

“So…” Marinette began slowly.

“...So,” Kagami repeated.

“I think… we need to talk.” Marinette once again dared a glance at Kagami’s eyes, and saw them determinedly looking back at her own.

“So… I’m Ladybug,” she began, almost wanting to laugh at how anticlimactic it sounded now she was actually saying it.

“I gathered,” Kagami responded with a harsh tone.

Marinette winced.

“Look, Kagami, I… I’m sorry. For not telling you. I just…”

Marinette paused, trying to find the words to explain. 

How was she supposed to convey everything she wanted in such a small amount of time?

How was she supposed to explain all the reasons she just wasn’t allowed to tell anyone? How much keeping her identity a secret was eating her up inside? How every day she longed for someone, anyone to talk to about how much she was dealing with on a day-to-day basis? How was she even supposed to begin explaining how alone she felt in this? How hurt she was having to watch her friends treat her like a lazy clutz - all because she just couldn’t be honest about who she really was without losing it all completely? 

She just couldn’t.

Almost losing resolve, Marinette looked at Kagami, trying to explain it all with her eyes.

“I really am sorry-”

Suddenly, Kagami leapt off the bed and pulled Marinette into a tight hug.

“It’s okay, Marinette.”

Marinette could feel her eyes welling up with tears. Kagami was… such a good friend. She always had been, ever since the two of them put an end to their rivalry. 

She could vividly remember all the times that Kagami had been there for her. When she needed advice, when she wanted someone to vent to, and even when she just wanted someone to sit next to in silence. 

The whole situation with Lila had almost made her forget about how amazing Kagami really was, and how much she enjoyed her company.

“I didn’t mean to use such a harsh tone, this is just… a lot to take in all at once.”

“Sorry.”

“Please stop apologising, Marinette. You’ve done nothing wrong.”

Marinette was really having to fight back tears at this point, as waves of relief came crashing down over her. 

She pulled away from the hug, and tried thanking Kagami, before realising what the two looked like at the current moment in time.

Marinette, in her rush to transform and make things right, had somehow forgotten to change out of her dress from the dinner party - although thankfully she’d taken off those impractical shoes. Meanwhile Kagami was simply wearing a vest and shorts pj combo with socks that reached her mid-calf. Her hair was tousled, as though she’d been fidgeting with it before Marinette arrived. 

Seeing Kagami look so informal and cozy was something Marinette just wasn’t used to at all. 

It looked… good…

Gulping and forgetting what she was about to say, Marinette decided to sit down on Kagami’s bed instead. Kagami sat down beside her, absentmindedly placing a hand protectively over the pillow that she’d previously put her diary under.

“Marinette?”

Marinette turned her head to face Kagami.

“I am sorry my mother and I left during the akuma attack. We must’ve made you worried.”

“You definitely did!” Marinette replied with a slight smile. She didn’t quite know what she was worried about after all - she knew she could trust Kagami.

“Well, as my mother and I left, we had a small conversation about how the dinner had gone before you had to… protect Paris.” Kagami paused at that, as if she still just couldn’t quite believe it, “She approves of you.”

Marinette felt her heart in her throat.

“She… approves?”

“Even more so now that she knows you’re the heroine of Paris,” Kagami smiled slightly, predicting what Marinette was about to say next, “She promises she will not say a word to anyone.”

Marinette felt as though she were on cloud nine. She approved! Actually approved! It was as if fireworks were going off in her chest. A light and airy feeling of pure joy filled every inch of her brain, and made her want to jump up and down in celebration. 

“This is-!”

Marinette met Kagami’s eyes again, and once more lost the ability to talk. Her heart was beating at a million miles a minute and her face was flushed. Kagami met her gaze fully, broadcasting some kind of emotion in her stare that Marinette couldn’t quite read.

Kagami placed a hand on Marinette’s leg and leaned forward, and without thinking Marinette found herself copying her. With their faces mere centimetres apart, Marinette closed her eyes, simply feeling the heat of Kagami’s breath against her face. 

Kagami leaned forwards once more, and their lips locked at last.

Marinette could feel a million emotions at once. Relief, joy, excitement, and… something else. In all her wildest dreams she had never once imagined how much joy a simple kiss could give her. Without pausing to think, she leaned further into the kiss, and Kagami brought her hand up to her cheek. She felt her push her hair delicately behind her ear. Not daring to be too forward, Marinette simply left her hand where it was, enjoying the simple bliss of the moment as it happened.

But soon, the moment was over.

Breathlessly, the two pulled back from the kiss, meeting each other's eyes once more and both turning a bright shade of scarlet.

“I-” Marinette tried to speak, only to have the words disappear from her mouth as she looked at the girl before her. 

Kagami’s cheeks were bright red and the colour perfectly contrasted the shades of blue that were prominent in the girl’s messy hair. Her honey eyes had a glossy sheen, as though she were in a daze, and her pale pink lips were still left slightly apart. Marinette saw Kagami place the hand that was previously on her cheek onto her own. 

Marinette desperately wanted to say something, anything, but the words were escaping her. She instead found herself just simply staring. 

However, she couldn't stare forever. 

She could hear Kagami’s mother moving around downstairs and shouting faintly in some kind of attempt to get her daughter’s attention. Sensing that she didn’t have long left before she was caught, Marinette transformed as quietly as she could.

Kagami snapped out of her daze as she saw Ladybug begin to walk up to the open window. 

“I… can we… speak tomorrow?”

Ladybug looked at Kagami one last time and nodded, before attaching her yo-yo to a nearby lamppost and swinging away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so uh,,,,,,, thoughts?   
> okay enough joking, i was literally freaking out about this chapter, i've literally *never* written a kiss scene in my life and i was terrified about even attempting it.   
> i ifgured this was a good place to put it?  
> who knows what kind of awkwardness this'll lead to heheheheh  
> trying to be emotional and write a romantic scene while being single and sleep deprived is like the hardest thing i've ever done so i really do hope this turned out how you all wanted it to!!!! i did try!!! i promise!!!


End file.
